Log in, open Profile → Close account and leave Ethpool and follow the steps. This stops your validators on Ethpool, deletes your keys from our systems and gives you a slashing-protection file. Then wait at least 24 hours after the "keys deleted" time we e-mail you and run the validators yourself or with another provider. Do this before 30 November 2026, 12:00 UTC to keep earning; closing stays possible until 16 December 2026, 12:00 UTC.

Importing your validator keys elsewhere too early can get them slashed. Ethpool is not liable for slashing, penalties or losses of your validators after you close your account.

On 30 November 2026, 12:00 UTC Ethpool stops signing for every remaining validator. They go offline and slowly lose balance (roughly what they would otherwise earn). Everything earned until then is paid out to your payout address; set one in your profile if you have not. You can still log in and close your account until 16 December 2026, 12:00 UTC to receive your slashing-protection file and keep your validators. On 16 December 2026, 12:00 UTC Ethpool submits a voluntary exit for every remaining validator and deletes its keys afterwards; the balance is then withdrawn to the validator's withdrawal address (for 0x01/0x02 credentials) or becomes withdrawable once you set one (for 0x00 credentials). The slashing-protection file stays downloadable.

A validator that signs the same duty from two places is slashed. Our signer drops your key within a minute of confirmation, but 24 hours gives a wide margin for any delay on our side or yours, and for the slashing-protection file to be in place. Waiting costs you at most a day of rewards; being slashed costs far more.

If you uploaded keystores to Ethpool, you have them. If Ethpool created your validators in the deposit flow, you downloaded the keystores during that flow, or you will be asked to download them before you can close. Ethpool deletes its copy when you close your account and cannot recover it.

Yes. Any service that lets you import your own keystores works. Give them the slashing-protection file too, and observe the 24 hour wait.

Everything earned until the moment signing stopped is paid to your payout address with the next payout run. Amounts below the transaction fee cannot be paid out. Blocks your validators propose after you leave pay whatever fee recipient your new client is configured with.

Contact support at [email protected]. We can run the closure for you after verifying your identity, but we still need proof that you hold your keystores.

Ethpool is a non-custodial solo staking pool for Ethereum. A minimum stake of 32 ETH is required.

A guide is available here.

To start staking, you need to create validator keys and deposit at least 32 ETH into a smart contract "deposit contract", which allows the corresponding validator to propose blocks and attest ("stake"). The validator node needs to be online in order to propose blocks or sign attestations to receive rewards.

Ethpool will take care of running your validator once you have uploaded your validator keys to Ethpool.

Ethpool uses Lighthouse and Nethermind. Mitigating the risk of supermajority client slashing and contributing to the network's overall health and stability.

Ethpool uses Flashbots (Relay), Ultrasound (Relay) and Agnostic (Relay).

The current APR for staking is around 2.57% based on ETH.STORE®¹.

Plankton Fee Tier

32 ETH (Total Effective Balance)

Goldfish Fee Tier

96 ETH (Total Effective Balance)

Whale Fee Tier 3

960 ETH (Total Effective Balance)

If the payout and gas price thresholds are met, Ethpool will pay the customer out. Multiple payouts per day are possible if thresholds are met.

Gas Limit & Gas Price for payouts

We recommend looking up the current gas prices here and setting the gas price limit in your settings accordingly in order to guarantee consistent payouts. Please consider that the higher your gas price limit is, the more likely payouts are going to happen.

In order to guarantee a timely payout you can set the gas price to:
Gas Price = Current gas price ("Rapid") * 2
Gas fee 'refunds' resulting from EIP-1559-type transactions will be credited to the user.

1. Method (recommended)

Follow the new onboarding flow and smoothly set up your validator by depositing with MetaMask or WalletConnect.

a) Use the official Staking Deposit-cli to create validator keys. Store the keys and passwords safely!

b) Import the deposit.json file from a) to the official Launchpad to fund your validator.

c) Once funded with at least 32 ETH, upload the keystore.json file from a) to ethpool.org

The keystore.json file only contains the validator keys, not the withdrawal keys. In other words, Ethpool, does not have access to your deposited ETH but can stake on your behalf.

A guide is available here.

Staking involves two keys. One for performing your validator duties and generating a reward. And the other one to withdraw your stake and rewards.

Ethpool only has access to the key that performs validator duties. We do not have access to any funds involved. You stay in full control of your involved ether.

Deep dive into Ethereum 2.0 keys

No. There are no hardware requirements.

No. As a non-custodial staking pool, we do not have access to any of your funds involved.

Yes. The stop process is prone to slashing because running the validator keys twice is malicious. Before you switch pools or stake yourself, please contact our support Freshdesk or Discord and we will stop the validator process securely.

No. Uploading the keys to a different service or staking yourself may result in a slashing event. Running the validator twice (uploading it to multiple services and/or running the keys yourself) is not tolerated by the protocol and the validator will be punished by losing up to the full staked amount.

You can find more information on "Can I exit my validator or switch pools at any time?".

We have a dedicated channel (#ethpool-solo-staking) on our Discord server.

Join us!